Disclaimer: Same old, same old.
Things Unseen
Chapter Four
The away team shimmered into existence on Torvala Seven. Increased visibility had not improved the look of things. Twisted shapes that had once been buildings stood irregularly here and there. In some places, the very surface of the roadway had been ripped up. The beautiful fountain Chakotay had noticed earlier had been smashed, and the water steamed and bubbled, choked with ash and gravel. There were people moving to and fro industriously, medical personnel with stretchers, security officials, and, of course, the media.
"She was over here," Chakotay indicated to the doctor and the security officers. He led the way toward what had once been the capitol building. It was mostly destroyed, with a few broken columns jutting up like jagged fingers. The roof of the portico was in huge pieces on the floor below it, as well as most of the front wall. In some places, the rubble was twice the height of Chakotay.
"Excuse me," Chakotay ventured to a Torvalan who was recording something avidly on a video device nearby. "Is this where the First Prefect was found?"
"Yes, it is," he waved at a cordoned-off area with his hand. "How senseless." He did not stop recording.
"Have they found anyone else in this debris or in the building?"
"Only bodies. The Prefect's aides were also dead. They had to secure her body first; they haven't moved the aides, or looked any further. There's not much hope for anyone inside. The entire roof collapsed."
Dread twisted around in Chakotay's gut, and he felt his throat close. He cleared it impatiently.
"Start your search in and around this building. Standard search grid. If you see anyone in need of help, help them, but remember that Captain Janeway is our first priority."
Tuvok's men (they were Lieutenant Mitchell and Ensign Gutierrez if he remembered correctly) nodded in a business-like manner, and moved off in a careful pattern that would ensure that they missed nothing. Chakotay and the EMH stayed on the ruined portico.
Chakotay ducked under the tape blocking the area where the First Prefect had died. He paced around the area – the entire south end of the platform – and thought aloud.
"The blast came from inside the building. The concussion knocked Paris, Ayala, and myself out into the street. But the First Prefect and her aides were found here. Kathryn was closer to them."
"Where were you in relation to the captain?" The EMH asked.
"We were a little behind her, and more to the north. The staircase used to be a lot wider." This was said with a kind of mirthless chuckle. The south end of the stone stairs had been all but obliterated, crushed by a falling column. "If this is where the First Prefect fell, then Kathryn would have to be near..." he trailed off.
"If she is here, then the possibilities of her being alive are slim," the doctor said in a tone that bordered on gentle.
"I...know.." Chakotay swallowed hard, and appeared to have difficulty speaking. He looked around randomly. Here, the roof had caved in and the front wall had blown out. Large chunks of rock were piled up against one pillar that remained standing. No one could survive that kind of impact, he thought. And then he saw it. Just a tinge of color in the otherwise gray wreckage. He hurried over to the spot, raking his hand too close to a jagged slab and gashing it open. He didn't even notice.
He managed to move a couple of rocks, before his bleeding hand protested. Nausea assailed him as he looked at what he had uncovered.
"Doctor!" he called out hoarsely. Captain Janeway was indeed buried in the rubble, although all that was visible was one arm, with the Starfleet Command red sleeve being what had caught his gaze. Her hand was limp and lacerated.
The EMH rushed over and took a pulse, as Chakotay tried frantically to move some of the larger rocks aside. He stopped at the doctor's upraised hand. The EMH's mouth was pressed into a thin line.
"There's no need for haste, Commander. I'm afraid the Captain is dead." He pulled out the medical tricorder and scanned. "I'm reading no lifesigns. Whatever was interfering with the communications earlier is interfering with the tricorder's readings as well, but..." his voice trailed off, and he gestured with one hand. The evidence spoke for itself.
"No," was the single syllable that escaped the first officer's lips, and he seemed to be unaware that he had spoken. He knelt down beside the pile of rubble, and took her hand, gently smoothing his fingers over the abraded skin and broken nails. Tears flowed down his face, unchecked and unnoticed. He murmured something over and over again in a language the doctor did not know.
The EMH backed away unobstrusively, trying to give Voyager's new captain at least a moment to privately grieve. He did not look forward to what he had to do next. He tapped his communicator.
"EMH to Voyager..."